The present invention relates to oven air circulating devices and, more particularly, to a portable oven air circulator which does not require an external power source or manual preparation by a user for operation.
Several devices are known in the art for circulating air within an oven for improving the efficiency and speed of heating food items within the oven. Some such devices are constructed as part of the oven and are powered by electricity. Other oven air circulators, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,561,416, 4,457,292, and 5,337,654, are portable and self-contained, deriving power from a spring motor. The utility of these spring motor devices is limited, however, in that they must be manually wound or coiled prior to each use. Further, the speed with which a circulation fan can be rotated is dependent upon the size of the gears within the gear train.
It is therefore desirable to have a portable oven air circulator having a spring motor that does not require manual winding or electrical power. It is further desirable to have an oven air circulator in which each incremental movement of a gear can impart numerous rotations to a fan.